Walter P. Chrysler Museum Celebrates One-Year Anniversary With Author of Founders' Biography
2 October 2000
Walter P. Chrysler Museum Celebrates One-Year Anniversary With Author of Founders' Biography
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 2 As the Walter P. Chrysler
Museum embarks upon its one-year anniversary, the life of the man who built
Chrysler Corporation 75 years ago is celebrated in the historical artifacts
housed in the Museum named in his honor as well as in the book, "The Life and
Times of an Automotive Genius," by Vincent Curcio. The Museum will sponsor a
book signing and lecture with Curcio at the Museum on Thursday, October 5 from
7:30-10 p.m.
The Museum was deemed as the perfect setting for Curcio's first book
signing on Chrysler property. In addition to vehicles that were milestones in
the company's collection, historical pieces of Walter P. Chrysler's life are
included as well. For example, the desk Chrysler used in his office at the
company's headquarters in Highland Park, Mich., is on display. In addition,
his famous tool chest is at the Museum and filled with his machinist tools,
some of which he made as a part of his apprenticeship. His tool box was
exhibited in a glass case in the Chrysler Building in New York during the
years Chrysler maintained his personal office there, and the tools were
featured in company advertising as "the tools money can't buy."
"The significance of this biography is overwhelming," said Barry Dressel,
Museum Manager. "Chrysler was a maverick 75 years ago who had enough vision
to grow a dream into the third largest American automobile company. Curcio
captures his drive and determination as well as the attributes that made
Chrysler the man and Chrysler the automotive company, leaders -- the
willingness to take risks, the styling and engineering of the vehicles and the
emphasis on quality."
Curcio had full access to both Chrysler Corporation and the Chrysler
family's historical records. Not since Chrysler's own autobiography has a
book captured the genius behind what was the third-largest American automotive
company.
Chrysler was born in 1875 in Kansas and worked as a railroad mechanic and
foreman before transitioning to an industry mogul. He founded the Chrysler
Corporation in 1925 when Chrysler acquired enough shares in the Maxwell-
Chalmers company to take it over. He renamed the company Chrysler Corporation
and expanded it further in 1928 when he purchased Dodge, making Chrysler the
third largest automobile company in the world.
The Walter P. Chrysler Museum provides a colorful and interactive look at
the life and times of Chrysler Corporation, its predecessor companies and its
products -- from the 1920s through the historic merger that formed today's
global DaimlerChrysler. Realistic dioramas include life-sized plaster cast
figures of Walter P. Chrysler at various stages of his career as well as
vehicles that launched Chrysler into the forefront as an industry leader.
Vehicles such as the 1924 Chrysler, the radically-designed 1934 Chrysler
Airflow, 1955 Chrysler C-300, 1970 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda, and the 1993 Jeep
Grand Cherokee.
The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and
Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. (closed Mondays). Admission is $6 for adults, $3
for seniors and juniors. Annual memberships are available for $45. For more
information, please visit the Web site, http://www.chryslerheritage.com , or call
toll-free at 888-456-1924.